Mukesh Ambani and Elon Musk's partnership takes shape as Jio to provide Starlink hardware and...

Reliance Jio will soon start offering Starlink hardware at its retail outlets all over India. This will allow customers to get satellite internet equipment directly. This plan depends on SpaceX getting the necessary approvals to operate in the country, as announced in the company's quarterly results last Friday.

This move is part of a new agreement between Jio and SpaceX. The goal is to bring Starlink’s broadband services to Indian users. It's worth noting that Jio's competitor, Bharti Airtel, which is owned by Mukesh Ambani, has also made a deal with Elon Musk's satcom company.

Jio is planning more than just selling Starlink gear. They're also setting up a dedicated customer service system to help people install and activate the equipment.

Reliance Jio Platforms Limited had a successful March quarter. Their revenue increased by 17.8% year-over-year, reaching Rs 39,853 crore. The company's quarterly EBITDA hit Rs 17,016 crore, which is an 18.5% increase compared to last year.

“Jio and SpaceX are also evaluating other complementary areas of cooperation to leverage their respective infrastructure to enhance India’s digital ecosystem further,” Reliance Industries Limited said.

The agreement between Jio and Starlink, which was announced in March, still needs regulatory approvals.

If approved, this partnership could greatly improve internet access in rural and remote areas. It would do this by using Jio’s local reach together with Starlink’s low-earth-orbit satellite technology.

Experts say that India's top telecom companies can add Starlink to their current services. They could offer easy payment and installation options. This could make Starlink services more affordable than selling them as a separate, specialized product.

As of March 2025, Jio had a total of over 488 million subscribers, including 191 million True 5G users. The increase in 5G use and home broadband services led to approximately 185 exabytes of annual data traffic. This is a 24% rise compared to the previous year.

The average revenue per user (ARPU) also went up to Rs 206.2, compared to Rs 203 in the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. This was helped by the full effect of recent price increases.